The Seven wonders of the world were first designated by Antipater of Sidon in the second century AD. All classical writers did not list the same items as the Seven wonders but most of them agree on the following:

1

The Pyramids of Egypt
are a group of three pyramids, Mufu, Khafra and Menkaura at Giza (near Cairo)
to a southern limit 96 km distant are often called the first wonder of the
Globe. The oldest is that of Zoser, in Saggara, constructed about 2700 B.C.
The Great Pyramid of Cheops covers more than 12 acres and was originally
146.61 metres (481 ft) in height and 230.43 x 230.43 metres (756 x 756 ft) at
the base. Of all the 7 Wonders, the Pyramids alone survive.

2

The Hanging Gardens of
Babylon:

Adjoining Nebuchadnczzar's palace, located at 96 km south of Baghdad, the
Gardens were built in the sixth century BC. Terraced zardens, extending from
23 to 91 metres (75 to 300 ft) above ground level,were watered from storing tank on
the highest terrace.

3

The Tomb of Mausolus:
At Halicarnassus, in Asia Minor. constructed by the widowed Queen Artemisia
about 350 BC. The memorial is the origin of the term mausoleum.

4

The Temple of Diana at
Ephesus:

Erected about 350 BC in honour of a non- Hellenic goddess who later became
identified with the Greek goddess of the same name. The temple with Ionic
columns eighteen metres high, was destroyedby
the invading Goth in 262 AD.

5

The Colossus of Rhodes:
A bronze statue of Apollo, set up about 280 B.C According to legend, it stood
at the port entrance of port of Rhodes. It was ruined during an earthquake in
224 B.C.

6

The Statue of Jupiter
Olympus: At Olympia in the plain of Ellis constructed of marble inlaid with
in ivory and gold by the sculptor Phidias, around 43O BC. All trace of it is
vanished, except for reproduction in coins.

7

The Pharos of
Alexandria: A marble watch tower and lighthouse on the island of Pharos in
the harbour of Alexandria, built by Sostrarus of Cnidus during the Third century
BC. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century.

NEW SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

The Taj Mahal of Agra, was voted by about 1OO million Internet and phone voters
Worldwide as the No.1 among the seven 'new' wonders ofthe world. Other Wonders in the list include the Great Wall of China, the
Colosseum in Rome, the centuries-old pink remains of Petra in J0rdan, the Sculpture
of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Incan remains of Machu Picchu in
Peru and the ancient Mayan City of Children Itza in Mexico. The list of the seven new wonders was compiled in 2007. Earlier, a private
Swiss foundation had launched the contest, allowing voters to choose from
twenty one sites, shortlisted out of 77 selected by a jury of renowned
architects and the ex-UNESCO Chief, Mr. Federico Mayor. The other short-listed
sites apart from those that emerged eventually as the seven 'new wonders
included the Acropolis in Athens City, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statues
on Easter Island. Cambodia's Angkor Watt temples, Britain's Stonehenge, the
Statue of Liberty in New York and the Alhambra in Spain.

1

Taj Mahal of Agra, India: This sublime and
imposing mausoleum was built in the 17th century on the orders of Shah Jahan,
the fifth Mughal emperor, in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal.
Carved out of white-marble, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most excellent
piece of Indo-Islamic art, Here follows a brief description of the other six
'new' wonders

2

Pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico: It was built
around 500 AD by Mayan rulers in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Chichen
Itza aas' primarily designed to be a temple city, but it also served as the
political and economic centre of the Mayan civilisation. The Pyramid was the
best and

strongest of all the structures which still exist there.

3

Machu Picchu, Peru: This medieval city was
built in the 15th century by the Incan King Pachacutec, a city in the clouds
on the mountain known as Machu Picchu ("Olden Mountain"). This
astonishing settlement lies halfway up the Andes Plateau.

4

Statue of Christ The Redeemer, Brażil:

This statue of Jesus, constructed in 1931, stands some 38 metre high, atop
the Corcovado mountainoverlooking
Rio de Janeiro. It was designed by Brazilian Heitor de Silva Costa.

5

Great Wall of China: Built in 220 BC and 1368 –
1644 AD to link existing fortifications into a united defence system and keep
invading Mongol tribes out of China.

6

Roman Colosseum, Italy: This is a giant amphitheatre
in the centre of Rome was built in 70 – 82 AD to celebrate the glory of the
Roman Empire.

7

Ruins of Petra, Jordan: On the edge of the
Arabian Desert, Petra was the glittering head Quarters of the Nabataean
empire of King Aretas IV, The Palace Tombs of Petra, built from 9 BC to 40
AD, are instances of West Asian culture.